PFIZER INC. | Issue a Report Evaluating the Risks Related to Religious Discrimination Against Employees at Pfizer Inc.

Status
Filed
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Resolution details
Company ticker
PFE
Lead filer
Bowyer Research
Resolution ask
Report on or disclose
ESG theme
  • Social
ESG sub-theme
  • Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Health Care
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
Shareholders request the Board of Directors of Pfizer Inc. conduct an evaluation and issue a report within the next
year, at reasonable cost and excluding proprietary information and disclosure of anything that would constitute an admission
of pending litigation, evaluating the risks related to religious discrimination against employees.
Whereas clause
Pfizer is one of the largest companies in the United States and employs over 80,000 people. As a major employer,
Pfizer should support the religious freedom of its employees. Pfizer is already required to comply with many laws prohibiting
discrimination against employees based on their religious status and views.
Respecting diverse religious views allows Pfizer to attract the most qualified talent, promote a diverse and vibrant business
culture, and is a key component to making sure it fully engages each of its employees. One of the best ways to promote
religious diversity is through faith-based employee resource groups. ERGs allow like-minded employees to connect with one
another, seek professional development, and promote understanding and dialogue with the broader workforce.
Despite this, the 2024 edition of the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business lndex1
found that over 64% of the largest tech and
finance companies, as well as healthcare companies like Pfizer, do not have faith-based employee resource groups and that
only 5% have faith-specific ERGs. Pfizer2
does not do this even though the vast majority of Americans identify as religious, and
even though the Company recognizes ERGs formed around race, gender identity, military status, and a variety of other
criteria.3
According to the 2023 Freedom at Work survey, 60% of employees were concerned that their company would punish them for
expressing their religious or political views at work, and 54% said they feared the same for sharing these views even on their
private social media accounts.4
Pfizer needs to take proactive steps to address this shortcoming by promoting faith-based
ERGs and providing them the same support and access that other ERGs enjoy.
Recent Supreme Court decisions in Groff v. DeJoy and Muldrow v. City of St. Louis have also clarified that religious
protections for employees extend to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, not just monetary compensation. So,
failure to allow faith-based ERGs may be illegal.

How other organisations have declared their voting intentions

Organisation nameDeclared voting intentionsRationale
Kutxabank Gestion SGIIC SAU.Against
Rothschild & co Asset ManagementAgainst

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